How much does an electrician cost in South Africa?
Most small electrical jobs land between R1,000 and R3,000 once the call-out fee is added. DB boards, CoC repairs and rewiring are where the real money goes.
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Expect a call-out fee of roughly R400 to R1,100 and labour of R350 to R900 an hour, depending on the electrician and the area. A new plug point typically costs R400 to R950, and a CoC inspection for a house usually runs R850 to R2,500 before any repairs. A full rewire of a three-bedroom home is a R25,000 to R90,000 project.
| What | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Call-out fee (travel and first diagnosis) | R400–R1,100 per visit | Most 2026 price guides put it between R500 and R950. Some firms fold the first hour of labour into this fee; others don't. |
| Labour, normal working hours | R350–R900 per hour | After-hours and emergency work is usually billed at 1.5 to 2 times the normal rate, roughly R750 to R1,500 an hour. |
| New plug point (socket installed and wired) | R400–R950 per point | Double sockets sit at the upper end. One Western Cape rewiring guide quotes R850 to R1,500 per extra point, so long cable runs cost more. |
| CoC inspection and certificate (existing home) | R850–R3,800 per inspection | Most sources cluster at R850 to R2,500 depending on property size and the number of DB boards. One guide quotes R1,600 to R3,800 for a three-bedroom home. Repairs are extra. |
| Light fitting installation | R350–R850 per fitting | Labour to fit a light where wiring already exists. The fitting itself is extra. |
| DB board upgrade (same position, new breakers and earth leakage) | R3,500–R9,000 per project | Scales with the number of circuits. |
| Full DB board replacement | R4,500–R14,000 per project | Includes breakers, earth leakage and testing. Moving the board to a new spot can push it to R9,000 to R14,000 on its own. |
| Full rewire, three-bedroom house | R25,000–R90,000 per project | Most national guides say R25,000 to R65,000. A 2026 Western Cape guide that includes a new DB board, making good and the CoC quotes R45,000 to R90,000. |
Estimates only. These ranges come from published South African prices, listed under sources below, and were last checked on 28 October 2026. Your price depends on your site and the specification. Get quotes for an accurate price for your job.
Electricians in South Africa price work in two ways. Small jobs and fault finding are billed as a call-out fee plus hourly labour. Defined jobs, such as a new socket, a light fitting or a DB board, are usually quoted per point or per project. Knowing which model you're being quoted on makes it much easier to compare offers.
The figures on this page come from six South African price guides published between late 2025 and mid-2026. They broadly agree on labour and small jobs, and differ more on bigger work, where the scope varies from house to house. Most don't say whether VAT is included, so always ask. On a R12,000 job, 15% VAT adds R1,800.
Treat these numbers as a planning tool, not a quote. Your electrician has to see the installation before committing to a price, especially for a certificate of compliance, where nobody knows the repair bill until the testing is done.
What moves the price
Pushes the price up
- After-hours, weekend and public holiday call-outs, which can cost R950 to R1,800 just to get someone out.
- Old or perished wiring, which turns a simple socket job into a cable replacement.
- Chasing into brick walls and making good plaster and paint afterwards, instead of surface conduit.
- Long cable runs from the DB board to the new point, priced by the metre.
- Multiple DB boards or a large property, which add testing time at a CoC inspection.
- Faults found during a CoC inspection, which must be fixed before the certificate is issued.
Brings the price down
- Batching small jobs into one visit so you pay the call-out fee once.
- Booking during normal working hours unless it's a genuine emergency.
- Buying your own fittings, if the electrician agrees and they meet the required standard.
- Phasing a rewire circuit by circuit, starting with the most urgent.
- Easy access to the roof space and DB board, which saves labour time.
A home office upgrade: a worked example
Say you want four new plug points and three new light fittings in a spare room, done in one weekday visit. Using the ranges above:
- Call-out fee: R400 to R1,100
- 4 plug points at R400 to R950 each: R1,600 to R3,800
- 3 light fittings at R350 to R850 each: R1,050 to R2,550
- Estimated total: R3,050 to R7,450, plus the cost of the light fittings you choose
Where the estimate could change
If the room is far from the DB board, or the existing circuit is already loaded, the electrician may recommend a new dedicated circuit. One 2026 guide prices that at R2,500 to R5,000. Ask whether the alteration certificate is included in the price.
Selling your home: budgeting for the CoC
The inspection fee is the predictable part. A small modern flat might cost R850 to R1,200 to test and certify, an average house R1,200 to R1,800, and a big property with several boards R1,800 to R2,500 or more.
The unpredictable part is the remedial work. Missing earth bonding, an old board without earth leakage protection, or loose and burnt connections all need fixing before the electrician can sign off. Ask for a written list of every fault with a price next to each one, so you can compare it with a second opinion if the total looks high.
Book the inspection early in the sale process. Finding an R8,000 DB board problem a week before transfer leaves little room to shop around.
What a good electrical quote shows
- The call-out fee, and whether it includes the first hour of labour.
- The hourly rate for any extra time, and the after-hours rate if applicable.
- A line for each point, fitting or circuit, with labour and materials split out.
- The brand and rating of breakers, earth leakage units and surge protection.
- Whether chasing, plastering and painting are included or left to you.
- Whether the certificate of compliance is included.
- Whether prices include VAT.
Rewiring: why the range is so wide
A full rewire can cost three times as much in one house as in another of the same size. The cheaper end usually means wiring can be pulled through existing conduit and the DB board is reused. The upper end includes new conduit chased into walls, a new board, earthing, making good and the CoC.
If the budget doesn't stretch to a full rewire, a phased approach is common: replace the worst circuits first, often for R15,000 to R35,000, and do the rest later. Your electrician should be able to tell you which circuits are the priority. Use our electrician quotes page to get prices for the whole job or a first phase.
Do prices differ by region?
Electricians in the big metros generally charge more than those in smaller towns. One 2026 guide puts Cape Town at R500 to R900 an hour and Johannesburg at R450 to R850, against R380 to R650 in Bloemfontein and similar cities.
Small towns aren't always cheaper overall. With fewer electricians nearby, travel pushes call-out fees up, and one source quotes R600 to R1,000 for rural call-outs.
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Compare up to 3 electrical work quotesElectrical Work cost questions
Why do electricians charge a call-out fee?
It covers the travel time, vehicle costs and first diagnosis, even if the fix turns out to be simple. Published 2026 rates mostly fall between R500 and R950 in working hours. Some electricians include the first hour of labour in the fee and others charge it on top, so check before you book.
How much does it cost to add a plug point?
Typically R400 to R950 per point for labour and a standard socket, with double sockets at the higher end. Expect more if the cable has to run a long way from the DB board or be chased into a brick wall. Adding several points in one visit spreads the call-out fee across all of them.
Is the CoC inspection fee the full cost of getting a certificate?
Only if your installation passes first time. The inspection fee, usually R850 to R2,500 for a home, covers testing and issuing the certificate. Any faults the electrician finds must be repaired first, and those repairs are billed separately. Ask for an itemised fault list so you can see what each repair costs.
How much does a new DB board cost?
Upgrading an existing board in the same place, with new breakers and earth leakage protection, usually costs R3,500 to R9,000. A full replacement runs R4,500 to R14,000 depending on how many circuits you have. Moving the board elsewhere costs more. Surge protection adds roughly R500 to R1,500.
Do electricians charge more after hours?
Yes. After-hours and emergency work is usually billed at 1.5 to 2 times the normal hourly rate. Weekend and late-night call-outs can cost R950 to R1,500, and public holidays R1,200 to R1,800, before any labour. If the problem isn't dangerous, switching off the affected circuit and waiting for a weekday saves money.
Sources
- Electrician Hourly Rate in South Africa: A Comprehensive Cost Guide, Kandua, late 2025
- Electrician Cost SA 2026: Hourly Rates, COC & Call-Out Fees, Completo, updated 23 May 2026
- How Much Does an Electrician Cost in South Africa? Prices 2026, Prummo, 1 April 2026
- Electrical Installation Costs South Africa, Building Prices South Africa, updated June 2026
- How much does an electrician cost in South Africa?, TruePro, 2025–2026
- House Rewiring Cost in South Africa: 2026 Pricing Guide, Fonster, July 2026 (Western Cape)
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